The Times of South Mumbai - Mumbai Port Trust’s ‘Wild’ Kitchen Garden, News,

When one thinks of biodiversity hotspots, the immediate images that flash across the mind are of dense evergreen forests or mangroves crashing with waves or at least huge city gardens. However, would you ever imagine a mere 3000 sq ft biodiversity hotspot? A wildlife oasis in the midst of a deserted, constructed space called the docks!

Huge trailer trucks laden with massive cargo containers were passing by, railway tracks crisscrossed the road we drove on, sky-hugging cranes were operating next to enormous ships loading them with such myriad variety of cargo. This was a foreign land to my eye used to gardens, forests, birds and butterflies. And the scanty buildings in the huge expanse were office complexes, with the catering department hidden away in one corner, close to the Red Gate of the Ghadiyal Godi (Victoria Dock).

I walked out on the terrace of the catering department and entered through a canopy of climbers into a heaven of chikoos, guavas, bananas, coconuts, lemons, mint, bhindis and a 120 other varieties of trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers standing in drums and plastic baskets right on the roof of the building. I saw that the plants had not only food value but also immense medicinal and ornamental values.

Preeti Patil, the catering officer, in-charge of Mumbai Port Trust’s (MbPT) smiles like a proud parent and extols the whole-hearted support she has received from her superiors and parent organisation, in creating and maintaining this terrace garden. Her associate staff, Kondar, Badve, and gardeners Nakti and Buwa excitedly explain how they converted an apparent eye-sore into this wildlife haven!

“A mere six years ago, there used to be a pile of kitchen waste rotting and raising a stink, right next to our kitchen and that was most undesirable. When you cook food for over 30,000 employees, the waste generated could be immense,” says Patil.

A need to handle this waste was answered in the form of a radio report on ‘City Farming’ by the (Late) Dr. Doshi. On visiting Dr. Doshi’s terrace garden in suburban Mumbai, around 20 MbPT officers along with Patil and her kitchen team took training to replicate this project in the Port Trust set-ups.

However, the enthusiasm of the catering department team was far ahead of any of the other departments. They started with a mere five plants in 2002, and within just two years and had already started to experiment with a dozen other varieties of plants.Using young green, mature and old leaves in combination with other plant wastes provides the diversity of minerals and nutrients soil needs, as against only old and dry leaves that most use for composting or mulching.

From that day till today, Kondar, the canteen supervisor, says it has just been constant victories and learning for all. A herbal tea section, with tulsi, mint, lemon grass, lemon and pepper, and all guests are welcomed by this amazing decoction.

This tiny kitchen garden and wildlife haven has been an inspiration to all its visitors including housewives, school and college students, corporate organisations desirous of a green image.It just goes to prove the Gaia Hypothesis which simply put states that ‘Life on Earth itself creates suitable conditions for more life on Earth to thrive’.

The garbage recycling effort has gone way ahead of being a composting unit or a terrace vegetable garden, converting itself into a biodiversity hotspot, a mini-sanctuary for the local orioles, jezebels and green-starved souls of Mumbai.

downtownplus@timesgroup.com

(The writer is an active environmentalist )

• A mere 6 years ago, there used to be a pile of kitchen waste rotting. When you cook food for over 30,000 employees, the waste generated could be immense
- Preeti Patil (catering officer ,MbPT)